Feed and guide arrangement for continuous perforated forms for office machines



O Unlted States Patent 1111 3,5

[72] Inventor Giuseppe Calano 50 Field ofSearch 226 79, Mercenasco, Turin, Italy 179; 308/(Expert); 74/( Expert); 24/(Expert); [2]] App]. No. 791,594 197/133, 133(P) [22] Filed Jan. 16, 1969 [45] Patented Dec.22, 1970 References Clted [73] Assignee Ing. C. Olivetti 8; C. S.p.A. UNITED STATES PATENTS Tuflfllmly 2,630,901 3/1953 Johnson m1 226/79 acol11mm" Italy 3,114,491 12/1963 Wright 197/133 x Pnomy 1963 3,399,816 9/1968 Staklinski 226/79 [31] N y50316 A/68 Prirnary Examiner-Allen N. Knowles Pat 825749 Assistant Exammer-Gene A. Church Attorney-- Kevin C. McMahon ABSTRACT: A feed and guide arrangement for continuous a perforated forms using a pin wheel for engaging and guiding [s4] the forms. The pin wheel is housed in a casing and is slidable OFFICE MACHINES on, but rotationally fixed to, a transverse shaft. The casing 8 CH am 5 D Fi comprises two elements biased towards each other in order to a rawmg grip a fixed bar parallel to said shaft and prevent transverse [52] US. Cl 226/79, movement of the pin wheel. The two elements are releasable 197/l33,226/l79 in opposition to the bias to permit transverse movement of [Si Int. Cl. B65h 25/04 said pin wheel on said shaft.

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PATENTED UEE22 19m SHEET 1 OF 2 INVENTOR. GIUSEPPE CALANO BY 14 T7011 N y PATENIED W322 870 SHEET 2 [1F 2 INVENTOR. GIUSEPPE CALANO BY 01 W ATTORNEY FEED AND GUIDE ARRANGEMENT FOR CONTINUOUS PERFORATED FORMS FOR OFFICE MACHINES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a feed and guide arrangement for continuous perforated forms for office machines, comprising a pin wheel engaging the holes in the forms.

In arrangements of this type for feeding or advancing continuous forms, the feed is generally effected through the medium of a pair of pin wheels fixed at the two ends of a shaft, as a result of which the positioning and format of the paper are determined rigidly. In a known arrangement, the pin wheels can be positioned transversely by means of a tooth which is carried by a sleeve and is inserted in suitable recesses in the shaft. There is also the possibility of a limited frictional movement of the wheels with respect to thes leeve. This arrangement is therefore structurally and functionally complicated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION These drawbacks are obviated by the present invention, which provides a feed and guide arrangement for continuous perforated forms for office machines, comprising a pin wheel for engaging the holes in sucha form, the wheel being angularly fast with, and axially slidable on, a transverse shaft, and the wheel being housed in a casing slidable transversely on the shaft and comprising two elements biased one towards the other by resilient means such as to cause a fixed transverse bar to be gripped by the elements in such manner as to permit any transverse position of the pin wheel within a range of movement thereof.

The invention will be described in more detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of a feed and guide arrangement for continuous perforated forms embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a section on the line ll-ll of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section on the line III-III of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a partial front view of the arrangement of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a partial rear view of the arrangement of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The feed and guide arrangement for continuous forms is incorporated in an accounting machine having a type carriage movable transversely on the frame of the machine and not shown in the drawings.

A shaft 18 (FIG. 1) is rotatable in the frame of the machine and is provided with an axial groove 19 in which there is engaged a stud 21 (FIG. 3) of a sleeve 22, which latter is therefore axially slidable, but angularly fast with the shaft 18. Fixed on the sleeve 22 is a wheel 23 of thermoplastic resin, for example nylon, on which there is a series of integral pins 24 disposed radially on said wheel and adapted to engage the usual series of draw holes formed at each edge of a form 26.

The feed arrangement comprises a casing indicated generally by the reference 27 and enclosing the sleeve 22 and the wheel 23. More particularly, the casing 27 comprises a curved top cover 28 of thermoplastic resin, for example an acetal homopolymer resin such as Delrin available from E. I. duPont de Nemours of Wilmington, Del., integral with two sidewalls 25 between which the sleeve 22 is disposed. The 25 are each provided with a hole 29, so that the casing 27 is slidable on the shaft 18. The cover 28 is provided at the rear with a vertical wall 30 from which extends a horizontal plate 31. One end 35 of the plate 31 has a rounded protuberance 49 (FIG. 5) engaging a flange 32 of a transverse metal bar 33 (FIG. 3) fixed to the sides of the machine. The plate 31 has at the bottom a rib 45 which closes the casing 27 at the rear.

The front top surface of the cover 28 (FIG. 1) is grooved and is shaped in such manner as to form a guide and support for the form 26. Thecover 28 is also provided with a slot 36 through which the pins 24 can emerge to engage in the holes in the forms 26.

The casing 27 moreover comprises a metal bottom plate 38 (FIG. 3) which is pivoted on the sidewalls 25 of the cover 28 by means of two pins 39 fixed to two bent lugs 41 and 42 of the plate 38. The lug 42 is provided with a projection or shoulder 40 which extends forward and engages in a notch 43 in an extension 44 of the vertical wall 30 of the casing 27 to ensure transverse positioning of the plate 38. This plate is moreover provided with a slot 46 for permitting the rotary movement of the pins 24.

Finally, the plate 38 has a flange 47 provided with an arcuate protuberance 48 (FIG. 5) located in correspondence with the protuberance 49 and engaging the flange 32. The projections 48 and 49 are normally held pressed against the flange 32 of the bar 33 by a compression spring 51 (FIG. 3). The spring 51 is inserted in a cavity in a cylindrical projection 52 integral with the cover 28 and is held at the other end by a pin 53 on a flange at the front of the plate 38.

The cover 28 is provided at the right-hand front comer with a ledge 56. This ledge and the flange at the front of the plate 38 can be squeezed together by the fingers to overcome the spring 51. The pressure of the projections 48 and 49 against the flange 32 is then relieved for moving the casing 27 along the shaft 18.

On two pins 62 and 63 fixed to' the casing 27 there are fulcrumed two wings 59 and 61 of a paper-pressing plate 58 shaped in a similar manner to the cover 28 to guide the forms between the cover 28 and the plate 58 itself. More particularly, the pin 62 is fixed to a tongue 64 integral with the cover 28 and disposed behind a transverse slot 66 in the cover 28, the slot being entered by the wing 59 of the plate 58. The pin 62 is moreover engaged in a groove 67 in the sleeve 22 to ensure transverse positioning of the sleeve. The pin 63 is fixed to the wall 30 of the cover 28, in which there is moreover formed a positioning slot 69 (FIG. 5) in which is engaged a pin 71 fixed to the wing 61 of the plate 58. Attached to the pin 71 is one end of a spring 72, the other end of which is attached to a projection 73 of the extension 44 of the wall 30.

The spring 72 is adapted to hold the plate 58 in a closed position with the pin 71 bearing against the left-hand end of the slot 69 (the right-hand end in FIG. 5). ln this position, the profile of the plate 58 is parallel to the subjacent profile of the cover 28. The plate 58 is likewise provided with a slot 76 which coincides with the slot 36 when the plate 58 is in the closed position. The spring 72 is moreover adapted to go overcenter and hold the plate 58 in an open position with the pin 71 bearing against the right-hand end of the slot 69 (the lefthand end in FIG. 6).

The plate 58 also has a bent lip 77 at the front in order to make the manual opening of the plate easier. By lifting the lip 77, the plate 58 is brought into the position shown in chaindotted lines in FIG. 5 in order to permit the introduction of the forms 26 and enable the draw or pulling holes to be engaged over the pins 24 of the wheel 23. The plate 58 is then reclosed and keeps these holes in engagement with the pins 24. The shaft 18 can be rotated manually by means of the conventional knob, which is not shown in the drawing, or automatically in order to produce a line-spacing step of the form 26 or a jump composed of a plurality of line-spacing steps in any known manner.

The feed arrangement moreover comprises a deflector indicated generally by the reference 80 (FIG. 1) and comprising a support 81 (FIG. 2) of thermoplastic material and which is substantially C-shaped. The support 81 is provided with two sidewalls 82 each having two notches 83 and 84 sliding on the bar 33. The deflector 80 also comprises a hood 86 of thermoplastic material which is pivoted by means of two lugs 89 on two pins 87 on the support 81. The hood 86 is provided with 'a transverse rib 90 and two sidewalls 91 extending between the rib 90 and the front end of the hood 86. The sidewalls 91 are normally caused to bear against the shaft 18 under the action of a spring 88 stretched between a projection 92 of the rib 90 and a projection 93 of the support 81.

The top surfaces of the hood 86 (FIG. 1) and the support 81 are grooved longitudinally to assist the guiding of the paper.

The rear portion of the surface of thehood 86 (FIG. 1) is moreover coplanar with the top surfaceof the support 81.

The profile of the front portion of the hood 86 is identical to that of the cover 28. in these circumstances, the deflector 80 therefore forms a support and guide for the forms at the intermediate points between two casings 27. ln this way, bending of the paper is avoided and the forms are held in a very convenient position for reading.

The hood 86 can be raised manually until the dead point of the spring 88is passed. The spring then brings the hood 86 into a second position in which two shoulders 94 provided on the lugs 89 and shown in chain-dotted lines in FIG. 2 bear against two shoulders 95 ofthe support 81. The deflector 80 can then be shifted along the bar 33' to adjust its position relative to the casing 27. More particularly, the deflector 80 can be shifted to either side of the casing 27.

l claim:

1. Feed and guide arrangement for continuous perforated forms, comprising a pin wheel for engaging the holes in the forms, the wheel being angularly fast with, and axially slidable on, a transverse shaft, characterized in that the pin wheel is housed in a casing slidable transversely on the shaft and comprising two elements biased one towards the other by resilient means such as to cause a fixed transverse bar to be gripped by the elements in such manner as to prevent any transverse position of the pin wheel and to permit transverse position of said pin wheel when said elements are released from said bar.

'2. Arrangement as in claim 1, characterized in that the casing comprises a top cover shaped in such manner as to form a guide and support for the perforated forms, the cover being provided with longitudinal grooves.

3. Arrangement as in claim 2, characterized in that one of the said elements is integral with the cover, the other element being carried by a bottom 'plate pivoted with respect to the cover.

4. Arrangement as in claim 3, characterized in that the cover comprises a ledge opposite a flange portion of the plate, the ledge and the flange portion being adapted to facilitate manual actuation for overcoming the resilient means and dis engaging the said elements from the bar to enable the casing to be shifted transversely. 4

5. Arrangement as in claim 2, characterized by a plate fulcrumed on two-longitudinal pins fastened to the cover, this plate having a shape similar-to thatof the cover and being normally disposed above the cover-in such manner as to permit the passage of theforrn between the cover and the plate.

6. Arrangementas in claim 5, characterized by resilient means adapted to hold the plate in one or the other of two positions, the plate being adapted in one of said positions to hold the perforated forms in engagement with the pin wheel and being adapted in the other position to permit the insertion of the forms over the pin wheel.

7. Arrangement as in claim 2; further characterized by a paper-guiding deflector comprising a support slidable transversely on the bar, and a hood pivoted on the support and having a shape similar to that of the said cover for supporting the forms in a transverse position different to that of the cover, the

top surface of the said support and hood being provided with longitudinal grooves.

8. Arrangement. as in claim 7, characterized by means adapted to hold the hood resiliently on the support in two different angular positions, the hood being adapted in one of said angular positions to constitute a bearing surface for the perforated forms and permitting in the other angular position transverse shifting of the deflector. 

